Hereford Lads Club are delighted to announce the re-launch of Inclusive Football. These sessions provide opportunities for structured football training for boys and girls of secondary school age on a weekly basis with qualified coaches. There are also possible opportunities to compete against similar teams in Worcestershire and Shropshire in a Three Counties League.

Hereford Lad’s Club has raised over £4,000 to help develop the sessions, used to provide a kit for the participants and booking a regular training session at the Point 4 centre.

But the Herefordshire Team need more players! Currently, a core of half a dozen or so young people, of varying disabilities, meet in their Hereford Lad’s Club kit every Wednesday evening during term time to practice their skills, run through exercises and drills and enjoy each other’s company.

As the name suggests, the Inclusive Football sessions are for young people who enjoy football regardless of their skill levels or their additional needs.

Hereford Lad’s Club Welfare Officer, Jamie Wright, who has helped develop the sessions said, “The club has always believed in promoting sport to children and young adults of all abilities. These sessions will allow both the parents and players to be part of the ‘community spirit’ of the club – every child deserves the right to play sport in a safe and caring environment. We’re looking to promote the sessions within local schools and specialists centres where children and young adult with disabilities attend.”

Jamie is available for further comment on: 07736197206

Inclusive Football member Louis Baker said, “I like the football sessions because I like scoring goals and having fun with my friends. I think my football is getting better and I really like being part of a team. I think the new kit is great! I hope some more players will come and join the team.”

The sessions run every Wednesday in term time from 6.00pm – 7.00pm at The Point 4.

Notes:

Photo attached: Inclusive Football players in their Lads Club kit

Hereford Lads Club is a registered charity (Charity No. 520956), founded in 1925 & based in the City of Hereford, England. Hereford Lads Club offers boys and girls football coaching & development from Under 6 to Under 18 and fields Men’s teams in Herefordshire & West Midlands Football Leagues. Youth teams play in the Herefordshire Junior and Herefordshire Girls leagues and all teams play their home matches at Widemarsh Common in Hereford.

Congratulations to the u10 Tigers, u10 Pumas and u12 Tigers on your success at the regional futsal finals in Birmingham on Sunday. You were all magnificent. The u12 Tigers now progress to the National Finals !!

Also a big well done to all the teams that played in the Pegasus tournament on Saturday and a special congratulations to the u12 Vixens as they came away as winners of u12 tournament – a fantastic result.

A great start to the tournament season after the best ever season the girls section at Lads Club has ever had.

After our away encounter against Evesham Ladies we knew this was going to be a hard game and although Evesham are currently top of the table they need every point from their last few remaining games to secure the league title. Lads Club ladies were a little nervous but were ready give to give 100% effort, but with only 1 substitute we knew we were going to have to dig deep. From the kick off we showed determination and battled for everything. Evesham were first to score but we weren’t giving up that easily. Within 5 minutes we’d levelled the score with a superbly taken goal from Dani Ward. This gave our girls a real boost of confidence and the first half finished 1 a piece.

The whistle blew for the 2nd half and once again Lads Club were up for a win, the game was hard but our ladies weren’t going to give up. We sustained pressure on the Evesham goal and after winning a corner a lovely header from Roxanne Payne sent the ball into the back of the net – 2-1 Lads Club. As expected we had no time to relax as Evesham pressed for an equaliser but Lads Club weren’t going to give up this lead. Eventually the referee blew the final whistle and we’d beaten the league leaders.

The player of the match was Olivia Jenkins followed closely by Sarah Reed who had a superb game in goal. Our ladies gave their all in this game, they all dug deep and played some excellent football. We were the better team on the day and deserved to win – a real team to be proud of.

Well Done Ladies

Hereford Lads Club Ladies were in high spirits right from kick off after their 10-1 win over AFC Worcester Olympic last Sunday. Although we only had the bare 12 players for this important game, we showed great resilience and flare. Lads Club started well but Evesham caught us on the counter attack and scored 15 minutes into first half, but within 5 minutes Danie Ward from Lads Club Ladies equalised to bring score to 1-1 at half time. Both teams came out fighting in the second half with numerous chances being created at both ends. A great team performance created the second goal – from a corner, Roxy Payne’s powerful header put Lads Club 2-1 up and with 5 minutes remaining the pressure was on…. At full time the game finished Hereford Lads Club Ladies 2 – top of the table Evesham United Ladies 1.

The game was played in excellent spirit producing great football from both teams.

Come and join this inspirational team – youth, passion and team dedication = success

Lads Club Ladies LOVE football…

Lads Club girls are looking for the next generation of girl football stars. If you like playing football, want to meet new friends, learn new skills and keep fit, please get in contact with Jamie Wright 07736197206

We are looking for –
5-8 year olds to play in our u8 friendly teams (years 1, 2 & 3)
8-10 year olds to play in our u10 team (years 4 & 5)
11-12 year olds to play in our u12 teams (years 5 & 6)

Training takes place each Tuesday evening on Widemarsh Common from 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Firstly, a couple of congratulations – Lads Club u10 Pumas have been confirmed as League Champions. Well done to Terry and the girls – undefeated in all league and cup games ! Also congratulations goes to the u10 Tigers who finished as runners-up, a great achievement for the youngest team in the league, well done Fred and the girls.

A special mention goes out to the u14 Vixens who play in the Gloucestershire league. For the second year running they’ve finished as League Champions (played 18, won 17 lost 1) – a great achievement for such a young team, well done girls. I’d particularly like to thank the parents for all their support (lots of travelling to distant parts of Gloucestershire) and to the two managers, Steve Bond and Steve Holman for their hard work and dedication to the team. Also Claire Brown for sorting out all the paperwork……etc and for being one of our ‘official’ tweeters.

The u12 league hasn’t finished yet but its looking good for our u12 Tigers and u12 Belles (currently first and second in the league standings) Keep on going girls !

The u16’s league has finished and our girls finished as runners-up. Well done girls. This Sunday the u16’s play in the HFA Cup Final against Leominster. Please come and support our girls – 12.30pm kick off @ Pegasus.

Many of our teams have made it through to the Edgar Street Cup Finals on Saturday 3rd May (see below for teams / kick off times). If your daughter’s team is involved in these finals please see the team manager for the ‘match day arrangements’. Please come along and show your support for our teams and help make this a ‘special occasion’ for our girls.

SATURDAY 3RD MAY

U 8’s

team

team

duration

9.50 – 10.00

ROSS

V

PEGASUS

10 MINS

10.05-10.15

PEGASUS

V

LADS CLUB LIONS

10 MINS

10.20-10.30

LADS CLUB LIONS

V

ROSS

10 MINS

U8’s CUP FINAL

team

team

duration

10.35-11.00

LADS CLUB PUMAS

V

LADS CLUB TIGERS

10 MINS E/W

11.00-11.10

U8’s PRESENTATIONS

U10’s SHIELD

team

team

duration

11.10-12.00

ROSS

V

LADS CLUB VIXENS

20 MINS E/W

U10’s CUP FINAL

team

team

duration

12.05-12.55

LEOMINSTER

V

LADS CLUB PUMAS

20 MINS E/W

12.55-13.05

U10’s PRESENTATIONS

U16’s SHIELD

team

team

duration

13.05-14.15

ROSS

V

PEGASUS

30 MINS E/W

U16’s CUP FINAL

team

team

duration

14.20-15.30

LEOMINSTER

V

LADS CLUB GIRLS

30 MINS E/W

15.30-15.45

U16’s PRESNTATIONS

U12’s SHIELD

team

team

duration

15.45-16.45

BARTESTREE

V

LADS CLUB BELLES

25 MINS E/W

U12’s CUP FINAL

team

team

duration

16.55-17.55

PEGASUS

V

LADS CLUB GIRLS

25 MINS E/W

17.55-18.10

U12’s PRESENTATIONS

U14’s

team

team

duration

18.10- 19.00

ROSS

V

HARROW HILL

20 MINS E/W

19.00

U14’S PRESENTATIONS

Presentation night is on Saturday 24th May at Lads Club (all teams, u8’s – ladies) The evening will ‘kick off’ at 6pm so please arrive in plenty of time to get a seat. The bar will be open and food will be served on the night (chips, etc…).

Lads Club Race night is on Saturday 26th April – see below. We’re looking for people / businesses to sponsors a race or sponsor a horse. Please help…….. All money raised goes back into the club to help with the next faze of the new changing rooms / pitch improvements.

This season our u14 Vixens team decided to play in the Gloucestershire Girls League as there weren’t enough teams in the u14 Herefordshire Girls League – the decision to move proved to be ‘inspirational’ as the girls played a selection of stronger teams and played 11-a-side football.

The season started well and the Vixens had some great wins against strong opposition. Our main rivals were again going to be Bartestree (as it was last season). With the Bartestree head-to-head games finishing one a piece it looked as though the league title would be decided at a ‘play off’… but with a surprise Bartestree defeat this gave the Vixens a chance to secure the league title with 2 wins as we headed towards the end of the league fixtures.

It all came down to the last game of the season as the Vixens travelled to play Gloucester City….. and with a strong gale blowing the Vixens set about Gloucester – they were determined to win. Nerves were settled as goals from Sophie and 2 from Katie let the Vixens go into the half time interval 3-0 up.

Gloucester City put up a valiant fight but with the wind with us we were allowed to play our normal ‘passing game’ and 4 further goals from Emily, Meg (2) and Evie meant we finished as League Champions for the second year running – What a team ! Great players, great coaches, great parents – playing for a great club.

Well done Vixens

I’d like to thank Steve Bond and Steve Holman for coaching the girls and finally thanks to all the parents, your support is always appreciated.

U6 Girls section (4-6 year olds)

The ‘mini’ section at our club continues to thrive as we welcome players as young as 4 years of age. The focus at this age is enjoyment, ball control, coordination and mini games of football. We are lucky enough to have several dedicated coaches who help the girls each week. Training for this age is inside in the sports hall at Whitecross school each Tuesday from 6pm until 7pm. New players are always welcome.

U8 teams (5-a-side)

WOW… we have some really exciting players at this age. We’ve entered 3 teams into the Herefordshire Girls ‘friendly league’ and they play 5-a-side games on Sunday mornings. Throughout the season the teams have played at mini football festivals and we will continue to offer training and matches throughout the spring and summer months. The focus at this age is ball control, team play, passing and positional play. We are still welcoming new players (year 2 &3) – please get in contact if your daughter would like to come along.

U10 teams (7-a-side)

Again we have 3 teams entered into the Herefordshire Girls League (year 4 &5). Without doubt we have some of the best girl footballers in the county at this age playing for the club. At this age the girls show increased physical strength, technique, control and increased game awareness. Tuesday evening is training night and we would welcome new players.

U12 teams (7-a-side)

We have over 30 girls playing in 3 teams and yet again… we have some incredible players ! Our teams are dominating the league and we have some ‘intense’ inter club rivalry. The girls just love playing football. We are still looking for a few new players to help strengthen the teams (year 6 & 7). Please get in contact.

U14 (11-a-side)

This season we moved this team from the Herefordshire league and now play in the Gloucestershire league where we can play against a selection of stronger teams. The girls are flying high and are currently top of the league with only a few game still to play. This team play attractive, quick passing football and have a great team ethos (year 8 & 9). We will be looking for new players ready for next season so please get in tough if your interested in playing girls football.

U16 (9-a-side)

A great group of girls who play beautiful football. Their energy levels and commitment make this team a pleasure to coach / watch. Unfortunately there are now only 4 teams in the league which somewhat restricts the amount of games and opposition teams but the girls turn up each week and flying high in the league. This team are already through to the Edgar Street finals and with further cup games to come I’m sure they’ll be in other finals as well….. Again we are looking for new players ready for next season. Please get in contact if you’re interested in playing football (year 10 & 11).

Lads Club Ladies

A new venture this season for the club but one we’re really glad we did. Our ladies are the youngest team in the league but are proving to be formidable opponents. We’re currently 4th in the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Ladies League and have several games in hand over the teams above us. We have brought together a team of young, enthusiastic, talented players who have a great future in the game. We are still recruiting new players (16+) – come along and play football….

** from Tuesday 2nd April we move our training for all ages back to Widemarsh Common from 5.30pm **

Lads Club Belles completed their third win in a row on Sunday 17 November with an emphatic 5-2 away win over Bartestree Harriers.

Previous recent wins over Leominster Minors and Ross Juniors were followed with a another strong all-round team performance which saw pressure straight from the kick-off. Pressure from Chloe and Katy in midfield allowed the Belles to press on giving chances to Grace and Clare in attack, which put the Harriers on the back foot.

The pressure eventually told as following a through ball to Grace, she beat two defenders before scoring low past the keeper to give the Belles a 1-0 lead.

Bartestree Harriers fought back, but with Harriet commanding in goal, supported by Libby and Maisie in defence the Belles were dealing comfortably with Harriers attack. The Belles continued to cause problems for the Harriers defence and following strong work by Katy, Chloe had a chance in the penalty area only to be bundled over. Chloe got up and from the resultant penalty which she dispatched easily it was 2-0.

Just as the Belles looked to dominate the game so Harriers fought back with a string of attacking moves and a stinging shot could only be parried by Harriet and the score was 2-1.

Grace continued to cause problems for the Harriers defence, supported by Clare and Izzy, and following good team passing Grace burst through the Harriers defence to make it 3-1 at the break.

Harriers came right back after the half-time break and Harriet was forced into making strong saves as the Belles defence cam under pressure. From one attack Harriers won a corner and from the resultant cross a sliced clearance from Libby resulted in an own goal and Harriers were back in the game, 3-2.

Belles responded well taking the game to Harriers with good passing and interchange between Caitlyn, Grace and Clare and from Belles pressure the ball was cleared by Harriers to Katy who let fly with a long shot which made it 4-2.

The Belles capitalised on this and further pressure saw Grace go close twice until she unleashed a right-foot drive following a run and sharp shot on the turn into the Harriers goal’s top right hand corner, taking the score to 5-2.

The Harriers tried valiantly to get back into the game but Maisie and Katy stood firm in defence handling the Harriers attacks and the Belles attackers responded and continued to cause problems right up until the final whistle.

Lads Club Belles were entertained by their sister club Vixens at Widemarsh Common on Sunday 29 September and in a typical derby encounter it was Belles who came out 3-2 winners.

The Belles had the better of the early exchanges with Grace, Chloe and Caitlin causing the Vixens defence problems. The opening goal followed smart work by Grace down the left wing who crossed for Chloe to score for the Belles.

This was the start of concerted pressure from the Belles with Caitlin having a goal-bound effort deflected, but the Vixens defence remained firm and just before half-time on a breakaway move they gained an equaliser following a smart shot from Freya.

The second half began with the Belles defence of Libby and Maisie cancelling out any Vixens attacks and Katie and Izzy forcing the play from midfield. One swift counter-attack saw another a shot from Katie deflected away from goal; but the pressure told and following a smart pass from Katie to Grace the Vixens defence was outpaced and she scored with a fierce left foot shot to make it 2-1.

Shortly afterwards another good run from Grace at the Vixens defence saw another goal and at 3-1 the Belles were in control.

The final five minutes saw Vixens fight to get back into the game and this pressure culminated with another fierce right foot shot from Freya to make it 3-2.

The closing moments again saw Grace and Caitlin go close for the Belles but at the final whistle it was a 3-2 win for the Belles